1 John 2:3 - Forerunner Commentary

1 John 2:3

1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, ^awe have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2 And ^aHe Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ^balso for the whole world.

The Test of Knowing Him

3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a ^aliar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But ^awhoever keeps His word, truly the love of God¹ is perfected ^bin him. By this we know that we are in Him.

6 ^aHe who says he abides in Him ^bought himself also to walk just as He walked.

7 ¹Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had ^afrom the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard² from the beginning.

8 Again, ^aa new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, ^bbecause the darkness is passing away, and ^cthe true light is already shining.

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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain 1 John 2:3:

I John 2:3-6

This section plays a major role in helping us understand how we can have the right attitude, the right emotions in our obedience. The key here is knowing God. How does one come to know God? To the Christian, coming to know God is accomplished by fellowshipping with God.

What John is saying here in I John 2, beginning in verse 3, is that there is no real knowledge of God without obedience to Him. You cannot know God without obeying Him.

So John is saying then that obedience is the vehicle, it is the means, by which we begin to experience God-life. It is the means by which we begin to experience eternal life. It is the means by which we begin to experience knowing God.

Now the word 'know' when applied to human relationships in the Old Testament implies intimacy all the way to sexual relations. Adam 'knew' his wife and she conceived. That is very plain. When it is applied to our relationship with God, the sexual dimension disappears; but instead it becomes an intimate devotion to and a loyalty of life together. This is very important. Eternal life is to know God. The sexual dimension disappears and the sexual part becomes intimate devotion and loyalty of life together.

Excerpted from Love's Emotional Dimension

I John 2:3-6

So while the context of these verses are quite different, they all urge us to do a particular thing. And in general, that thing is imitate what Christ did. Do as He did, walk as He walked. Whether it is serving others, suffering without complaint, or keeping God's commandments, the instruction is the same. Jesus never put a wrong foot forward on the path to the Kingdom of God. He always did His Father's will. He never strayed. He never sinned. And so we could never go wrong following His example.

Excerpted from Jesus in the Feasts (Part Two): Firstfruits

I John 2:3-6

What is he doing here? He is laying down unleavened bread to us. The idea behind unleavened bread is to know Him, to feed on Him. So we know we have taken Him inside, but then the reaction to that or the next obvious step, is to walk as He walked. So we take in what He has revealed to us as His character, the way He lives, and we walk the walk.

Excerpted from Jesus in the Feasts (Part One): Unleavened Bread

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The Test of Knowing Him

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A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning